How Small Businesses Can Boost SEO for Voice Searches

Even though the voice search has been around for some time now, it is only in the recent past that it has started gaining traction very fast. While at present most voice searches are done just for the kicks to observe what the results are, it is increasingly becoming clear that there’s going to be a rapid adoption of voice search.

In fact, according to industry projections, more than 200 billion searches will be made using voice search technology by 2020. Without getting into a debate regarding the veracity of the number, it is evident that businesses need to actively start thinking about how to optimize their websites for voice search.

SEO for Voice Search

Decide for which search engine you will optimize for: There is a major difference of opinion regarding which search engine, Google or Bing, will lead voice search. Siri uses Bing as the default search engine and that means that users of all Apple devices on iOS 7 will need to opt manually if they want to use Google. If this suggests that Bing has the edge on voice search, an IDC study reveals iOS has a paltry 15.5% share as opposed to Android’s 83.7% stranglehold. Since it is early days now, you would be better off optimizing for both.

Optimize Simultaneously For Google and Bing

Decide for which search engine you will optimize for: There is a major difference of opinion regarding which search engine, Google or Bing, will lead voice search. Siri uses Bing as the default search engine and that means that users of all Apple devices on iOS 7 will need to opt manually if they want to use Google. If this suggests that Bing has the edge on voice search, an IDC study reveals iOS has a paltry 15.5% share as opposed to Android’s 83.7% stranglehold. Since it is early days now, you would be better off optimizing for both.

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Use Long Tail Keywords

A good way of getting good results through voice queries is by resorting to long tail keywords. The human thought process tends to be more natural while conversing than typing. When talking, thoughts, as well as sentences, are complete as compared to keyboard input that tends to be more artificial and mechanical. By creating content that follows a conversational style and structure you will end up mimicking the way the user will voice his query and it is quite likely that the search engine will be able to discover the relevant content far more easily.

For instance, a typed query may be like this, “cheap trainers Chicago” while the equivalent voice query could be, “where can I buy cheap training shoes in Chicago?” If you structure your web contents in the same way, the chances of better SEO are considerably improved.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that voice search will rule the way users look for information or content on the web in the times to come. As with every emerging technology, there is bound to be a fair amount of confusion initially, but there is no denying the fundamental logic of how the voice search can impact search engine optimization. The sooner online businesses take a conscious stand to revamp their website contents for more conversational fluidity and logic of thought, the better they will be prepared to take advantage of voice search.

Author bio: Walter Moore is an SEO consultant who has recently branched out on his own. With over a decade of experience in SEO and digital marketing at GingerDomain.com, a leading player in the space, Walter brings to the table a wealth of practical experience.